Trust
by jayhogartismyangel
Summary: Sometimes trust could be taken for granted. Some spoilers. ThreeShot
1. Part One

**Trust**

**A/N: So....there is a spoiler about a dangerous/unhealthy student-mentor relationship. It has been going around since before the ninth season even began. Now, alot of people suspect that it is KC and the new basketball coach. I went onto IMDB and someone mentioned how KC was a pretty big guy and he should be able to fight back. This is sort of my answer as to why he wouldn't. I have to wonder though, why is it that people believe that stuff like this can't happen to guys? I remember going to the Dr. Phil boards a long time ago and people were saying that these teachers didn't deserve to lose their job because boys thought of sex all the time.(it was a thread about an episode about teacher/student affairs.) Glad that it seems like Degrassi will have a storyline about it though. I mean...sure KC is tall but---when it really comes down to it, who has the power in the situation? KC is a foster kid who seems to have been physically/emotionally abused by his father, he's in the foster care system and in a group home, he's never had a real father figure, he's eager to please, vulnerable----all things that the coach can easily take advantage of.**

**Summary: Sometimes trust could be taken for granted.**

**Warnings: brief mentions of sexual assault and child abuse also brief mentions of attempted suicide.**

**A/N2: I may write a second part to this on Clare noticing that something is wrong with KC.(I think that she could easily recognize the signs what with what happened to Darcy and everything.) **

**Part One**

Trust. That was a word that KC Guthrie hardly even knew before he came to Degrassi last semester. In his life, there'd never been anyone that he could truly trust. His father had been an abusive asshole who'd been verbally and physically abusive torwards his son and his wife for years before he'd been arrested. His mother was a drunk who didn't want to seem to give up her addiction. His teachers had always just assumed that he was a bad kid without trying to figure out the reason for his behavior. The so-called friends he'd had back then had more often than not, betrayed him or helped get him into trouble.

Then he came to Degrassi. He'd made friends, gotten put into the gifted classes at Degrassi, he'd joined the Bot Wars team, the basketball team, had gotten a girlfriend who was also his friend. Things had finally turned out well for him. He finally had people he could trust and depend on. People who cared for him. Then it all started to go to hell again. A new basketball coach had came to the school and had taken the eager KC under his wing. KC had been estatic and eager. He'd never really had a positive father figure before and Coach Carson seemed to be exactly the kind of dad that KC had always wanted. The kind of man who loved sports and gave good advice and really seemed to care for and understand him.

He'd been wrong on that account. The man that he'd trusted and had begun to think of as a father figure, was but a wolf in sheeps clothing and KC for all his brilliance and street smarts, had been fooled. He'd seen what he'd wanted to see and he'd let his eagerness and vulnerability get the best of him. He remembered the first time that Coach Carson had acted strangely around him, even though at the time he'd just brushed it off. He knew now that it had been a warning sign. When he'd first heard it, it had sounded innocent enough. Just the coach making a comment about not letting him out of his sight. It seemed typical. Normal.

And then, two weeks ago, KC had caught the coach staring at him. The intensity of his eyes had made KC shiver a bit. It had made him a little uncomfortable to say the least. Another incident that he'd just written off with almost as much ease as someone who'd shrugged off a jacket.

Another big mistake. That's what his whole life seemed to be filled with. One mistake after the other. And not just where the coach was concerned. Just a few days ago, Clare had broken up with him---after catching him kissing one of her best friends, Jenna Middleton. The girl who'd just came to Degrassi this semester and who'd immediatly bonded with Clare. It was something that both of them had regretted immediatly. A stupid "attraction" had caused the two of them to break the heart of a girl that they both cared deeply about.

And that had brought up another incident with the coach. The one that had made him realize that something was definitely wrong. He'd walked into the empty gym and had taken a seat on the edge of the bleachers. His head had been in his hands and he'd been concentrating too hard on what had occured that afternoon to notice Coach Carson walk in until he felt someone take a seat next to him and a hand land on his thigh, much too close for comfort. He could remember his whole body freezing up as his eyes had landed on the hand. Coach Carson hadn't seemed to notice his discomfort, or if he had he just didn't care. KC wasn't sure which it was.

The coach had so casually asked him what it was that had him so upset, sounding for all the world like a caring adult. He hadn't told anyone how uncomfortable the older man made him. He knew that he most likely wouldn't be believed anyway. Foster kids---especially ones with records---were never really believed or trusted. Not to mention how dirty this whole ordeal made him feel anyway.

And all the off hand comments, the looks, the touches had all led up to what had happened just this afternoon. It had led to the coach taking it much to far and doing something that KC hadn't wanted when he'd been in the lockerroom showers. He couldn't fight back otherwise, he'd be sent straight to juvie. That couldn't happen. The coach had the power in the situation and KC didn't.

Well....he _thought _he didn't. But then he opened up his hand to look down at the pill bottle he had in it--the one that he'd taken from Nash's bathroom cabinet . It would be so easy to just end everything. Everyone would be better off anyway. Clare, Jenna, Alli, and Connor could forget that they ever knew him, Jenna and Clare could restore their friendship, he wouldn't be a big burden on everyone's shoulders. And everything would just be over. The pain he felt would be over, the coach wouldn't be able to touch him anymore. It was something that could resolve everything. He twisted the cap off the orange, prescription bottle and then poured some of the tablets into his hand, staring at them for a few long moments....and then swallowed.

**To be continued....**

**Last Part: Clare's noticed KC's distant and odd behavior. She's noticed how he's withdrawn into his shell and has an idea of what is going on because of what happened to Darcy. When it comes down to it, will she be able to help him? And can she tell Nash why KC would do such a thing?**


	2. Part Two

**Trust**

**A/N: So I have decided to make this a threeshot. This part is basically about Clare finding out that something is wrong with KC and thinking about why she can't forget him.**

**Did anyone see the new pictures for the episode, Heart Like Mine? It pretty much confirms that **_**something **_**will happen between KC and the coach. It looks like the basketball team and the cheerleaders have playoffs/a game out of state. KC is in a hotel room with the coach and it looks as if the coach will get KC drunk. Is it wrong that I want to write a fic where KC's friends torture the coach when they find out? It would probably consist of Coach Carson being castarated, etc. I'm sure the gifted niners could come up with brilliant ways to torture him. Not to mention, they could hide his body easily and if it was found, no one would suspect them of anything. I mean really. The niners all look pretty harmless.**

**Part Two**

Clare sighed and tucked a strand of curly, light brown hair behind her ear. She lifted a small hand to grab her Biology text book from the top shelf of her locker. "I can't believe KC missed today!" She found herself saying. "He has to know that there was a Media Immersion test for all the classes. And he wasn't sick yesterday. Connor said that he was at Basketball practice."

Alli rolled her eyes and flipped back her dark hair, arching her eyebrows. "You worry too much about him Clare. Especially considering he broke your heart into a million tiny pieces just a few days ago with the help of that _bitch._." She snarled as she slammed her locker shut loudly, the sound reverbeating down the hall.

The lighter haired girl turned so that her back was pressed against the lockers. She leaned her head back and squeezed shut her blue eyes. "That doesn't stop me from caring about him, Alli." She said to the girl beside her. "And I could say the same thing about you and Johnny, too." Clare added for effect, eyes fluttering open to stare down her friend.

Alli pursed her lips and didn't say anything, just narrowed her eyes darkly. She knew that her friend was right about that but she wasn't going to give her the benefit of hearing those words.

Just then, Dave Turner---a boy who was on the basketball team with KC walked over to the two teen girls. Clare could tell immediatly that something was wrong. The usually funny guy looked oddly serious.

Clare raised an eyebrow and her mouth set into a slight frown as she took in his appearance. "Dave...hey." She said, sounding confused.

He tried to smile back but failed. "Hey. Can I talk to you? It's about KC."

"What KC does isn't really my business anymore Dave. We broke-up." She replied with a sigh, hugging her textbooks to her chest as she stared down at the floor.

"Yeah...but you still care for him and I know that he still cares for you. And besides, you probably know him better than anyone else in this school. Maybe you could tell me why he acted so weird at practice yesterday." Dave replied, shuffling his feet and switching his backpack to the other arm.

Clare's eyes widened and she took a step torward him, slowly. "He acted weird?" She asked in a hushed whisper, not really wanting Alli to hear and go on another tirade.

The boy infront of her nodded. "He just _froze_ whenever the coach made a move torwards him. And he flinched when he patted him on the back. It was really weird. And he wasn't really into practice. He didn't really want to talk to anyone either." He watched as Clare's arms tightened around her books and as she bit her lip, sharply. She seemed to be thinking about something.

She turned to face Alli with a pleading look in her blue eyes. "Could you please cover for me if my mom calls you? I need to check on KC and....I don't think my parents would take that too well. They never really liked him anyway."

The darker haired girl blinked in disbelief. "Clare!" She pratically shrieked. What was Clare even thinking getting involved in this mess?

"_Please _Alli. I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think it was important. I've just...I've got a bad feeling. The fact that KC wasn't into practice yesterday doesn't make any sense. He _loves _basketball and he loved being on the team. And he really bonded with Coach Carson. Something is wrong. If it were Johnny in trouble, wouldn't you want me to do the same for you?" Clare asked watching the conflicting facial expressions that passed over Alli's face.

Alli sighed, shoulders slumping as she took Clare's bookbag from her. "Okay. I'll help you if your mom calls me." She told her carefully, studying her best friend worriedly.

Clare gave a tiny smile and then wrapped her friend in a grateful hug. "Thank you so much Alli." She murmured. "I'll repay you for this when I can." She let out a deep breath and then put her books into the open bookbag in Alli's left hand. She knew that she could pass her biology test with her eyes closed so she didn't need to study as long as she'd planned on. Besides, KC was more important right now which really shocked her. When she'd come to Degrassi at the beginning of the school year, it had been for school and nothing more. Until she'd met KC. 'What had that boy done to her?' She shook her head. It was no use to ponder that now. She hurried away from Alli and Dave and out the school doors.

The dark haired girl whipped around to face Dave as soon as Clare was out of sight. Her mouth was set in a grimace and her eyes were narrowed dangerously. "If anything happens to her because of this, you'll regret it." She said in a tone of warning.

Dave could only gulp at how Alli was staring him down.

-----------------

Clare had gotten to KC's group home in about twenty minutes on foot. She paused as she walked up onto the stoop and stood infront of the door, hand hesitating over it. She wondered for a moment, what she would say if she'd just been overly worried and nothing was wrong with KC at all. He could just as easily have a cold or the flu. It didn't have to be anything dire. Before she could decide what to do, the old woman from next door walked over to the fence that seperated the two houses.

"No one's there, little girl." The lady said, staring at her.

Clare turned and walked to the fence. "Why not? My friend, KC Guthrie wasn't in school today. I figured he was out sick." Okay. Time to panic.

"An ambulance came last night. One of those poor children tried to kill himself. I stayed with the other kids while Nash went to the hospital with him. The others went off to school this morning. Nash just recently called and asked if I could check in on the kids again when they got home. He doesn't think he will be back tonight." The older woman told her, looking sad as she recalled it all.

"Is...is he going to be okay?" Clare asked desperately, trying hard not to cry. If he died, she wasn't sure what she'd do. Even though they'd broken up, she still loved him and couldn't imagine life without him in it.

The old woman studied the young girl with pity in her light brown eyes. "Even if he does recover physically, he might never be okay. People don't just try and kill themselves without a reason."

Clare let her hand come up to cover her mouth as she finally gave in to the tears. It made her feel sick just thinking about it. She'd already dealt with one person that she cared about trying to commit suicide and now she had to worry about another one. It wasn't fair. Why did these horrible things have to happen to everyone that she loved? She didn't even know why KC would do this. With her sister, it had been understandable. She'd been raped and hadn't been able to deal with it. There'd been so many signs that she and her parents had missed. The way Darcy had shrunk back in to her shell. Hadn't wanted to cheer much anymore, her overall personality changing. The way she flinched whenever anyone touched her shoulder.

That is when Clare's eyes widened in realization and a small gasp escaped her lips. All signs that KC had been showing as well if she were to go by her own observations and on Dave's worried words. And she hadn't really talked to the coach much but when she and KC had still been dating, KC had eagerly introduced her to him. The looks he threw at she and KC had made her uncomfortable. She hadn't voiced that though because she really didn't want to upset her boyfriend. He just liked the coach so much and seemed to think of him almost like a father figure, something that Clare knew he'd never really had growing up. That made her feel guilty. 'Why hadn't she said anything? This might not have happened if she'd just voiced her opinion, something that she was usually good at. Why had she failed KC like this?' With those thoughts running through her mind, she turned on her heel and ran from the house. She needed to get to the hospital and she needed to see KC.

**To be continued...**

**Last Part: Clare arrives at the hospital and goes in to see KC. Clare tells Nash what she suspects/ knows. Will KC tell Clare what happened?**


	3. Part Three

**Trust**

**Part Three**

Clare arrived at the hospital---which was thankfully, not too far from KC's home in about thirty five minutes. She made sure to turn off her cellphone before she entered the hospital and began to walk torwards the front desk.

The person on duty looked up from the computer when she caught sight of the teenage girl. She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" She asked.

Clare took in a breath and then asked. "May I have, KC Guthrie's room number please?" Her fingers tapped impatiently against the wood of the desk in time with the movement of her left foot as she waited. She wished this woman would hurry up already! Couldn't she tell that she was worried about her friend?

Finally after what seemed like ages, the woman answered. "You mean Kenneth Christopher Guthrie?" She inquired, staring at the young girl.

The teenager nodded her head. "Yes. That would be him." She replied, she stopped tapping her fingers.

"He's in room 415. You can go right up if you want. Just check with a nurse up there." The lady told her, watching as the girl hurried off right after getting the information that she'd needed.

* * *

She caught site of Nash as soon as she stepped foot off the elevator. He was leaning against a wall with his head back, looking purely exhausted. Clare took a hesitant step torward him, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor. The man looked up as he heard her drawing closer and their eyes connected.

Nash smiled grimly at her. "Hey Clare. What are you doing here?" He asked of her, wondering how she'd found out about KC in the first place. He hadn't even called anyone. Not to mention, it was strange that an ex-girlfriend was worried about her ex-boyfriend.

"I was worried when KC didn't come to school today. I ended up going to your house after talking to one of his friends on the basketball team who said he'd been acting strange. Your next door neighbor told me that KC tried to......" She trailed of and took in a shaky breath, unable to say the words.

He nodded solemnly and stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. "I have no idea why KC would do such a thing. I'm supposed to know the children in my care so well, why couldn't I see that something was wrong with him?"

Clare lowered her lashes and stared down at the floor in shame. "I should've seen that something was wrong too, Nash." She wondered how to go about telling him what her suspicions were, wondering if he'd even begin to believe her. It was almost to horrible to be true. "I've got to tell you something. It's about KC and....why he'd do what he did." She finally said, thinking that it was best to just get it out.

Nash looked at the young girl infront of him, taking note of the serious expression on her face. "What is it?" He asked her hesitantly, preparing himself for whatever it was that she was going to say.

"KC..." She said, licking her lips nervously. "He really bonded with his basketball coach. Coach Carson. I think...I think that he saw him almost like a substitute father figure or something." She felt tears well her eyes once more as she thought of what she had to say next. "But....from what Dave said...KC acted really weird yesterday, during practice. He told me that KC didn't want the coach coming near him and that he flinched when the coach touched him. And he told me...he told me that KC didn't seem to be in the mood to talk or play basketball. When I thought of that----it reminded of my older sister, Darcy. It reminded me of how she acted after she was......_raped." _She choked on a sob and covered her mouth turning away so that her back faced the man that she was speaking to. "And the coach...how he looked at KC...it made me uncomfortable."

Nash couldn't say anything, he was in too much shock. Of all the things he thought that Clare could say, it certainly wasn't something as disgusting as _that._ He looked at her and saw the tears that glistened in her blue, red rimmed eyes and the tear streaked cheeks. He could tell then that she really believed it. Clenching his fist and gritting his teeth in anger he stalked past her with purpose and walked to the elevator. He pushed the down button and stepped inside as soon as the doors opened. He knew that he would have to have a few _words _with the coach, although talking was the last thing that he planned on doing.

Clare watched him leave, wondering if she should stop him before he did something crazy. 'If he kills that monster, then he deserves a medal.' She thought darkly, shocking herself with that thought. She wasn't the type of person to wish something so horrible on another human being but---the man would deserve it for what he did to KC. Her head turned to look at the door to KC's room with those last thoughts and tiptoed torward it, opening the door as softly as she could and stepping inside. She couldn't contain the gasp that escaped her lips at the sight of KC laying in that bed looking all pale and frail, despite how tall he really was. She'd never seen him like this before. It brought back memories of being terrified in the hospital as she waited for news about Darcy after she'd slit her wrist. She walked farther into the room until she was standing over the bed. She reached out and stroked his right hand with her fingertips, her fingers caressing the smooth skin. She didn't notice his eyes fluttering open and the green gaze staring at her.

KC blinked blearily at the feel of the gentle touch. He turned his now focused eyes on the person stroking his hand and was in shock when he saw that it was Clare. He smiled at first that she still cared about him enough to come see him in the hospital even after their breakup. It turned into a frown however, when he thought about her knowing the reason he was in here in the first place. She was sure to think that he was a freak now. Not to mention he didn't deserve to have someone as pure as Clare here worrying about someone as dirty as him.

She turned her head and caught him staring at her and her cheeks turned a little red as she wondered how long he'd been awake. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and took his hand in her's, interlacing their fingers. Her heart ached when he turned his gaze away from her and pulled his hand away from her's. She reminded herself that, that was to be expected. Another way that rape affected a person. She smiled at him slowly. "Hey." She said in a whisper, sniffling a little. She reached a hand out to gently turn his face torward her so their eyes met then she took one of his hands in both of her's.

"How did you know that I was here?" He asked, voice raspy. He watched as she poured some water into the cup sitting on the stand beside the bed and took it gratefully when she handed it to him. He took a sip thirstly as he awaited her answer, hoping that she wouldn't question why he'd tried to commit suicide. He knew that without a doubt, Clare would be able to get it out of him. He didn't want her to know. He wanted her to treat him like he was normal if she was going to stick around.

Clare licked her lips and took his cup from him, setting it on the stand. She turned back to him and locked eyes with KC. "You weren't in school today and then Dave told me that you'd been acting weird. I went to your home to look for you and this lady told me I could find you here." She looked down at the sheets, tracing patterns on them with her pointer finger.

KC groaned as he realised that she was leaving something out. "You know don't you?" He asked her shortly as he turned on his side so he was facing away from her, not wanting to see the disgust that he knew was sure to be on her face.

"I had my suspicions, especially after what Dave said." She replied in a tearful voice, her hands in her lap.

He laughed bitterly and curled into the fetal position. "Your suspicions are probably right, which is why I can't understand why you'd even want to be around me. I'd probably taint you."

Anger flared up inside of Clare at KC's words. She wished Coach Carson was here so she could kill him. The fact that he'd made KC feel dirty broke her heart. "You'd do no such thing! You're still the same person that you always were and I'm not going to treat you any differently because of something a monster did to you."

"You're not even asking how it happened." KC mused, fiddling with his hospital bracelet, not that he wanted to tell her in the first place. He still didn't think that he deserved her but she didn't seem to want to leave him.

"That's because you'll tell me when you're ready. I can't pressure you into telling because that won't help you." She replied carefully.

He felt gratitude fill him. He really wasn't ready to tell yet so it was nice to know that she was going to be patient and would be there for him. He slid a hesitant hand torwards hers so that their fingertips brushed together. "Thank you, Clare." He told her, looking at her with a pair of devastatingly haunted eyes.

Clare could only nod, knowing that there weren't anymore words left to say on the subject at the moment. She could only be happy that he wasn't pushing her away and that he knew that she'd be there for him.

**The End**


End file.
